Star Trek: Perdition's Flames (Inactive)

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7d6 damage.

damage: 7d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 3, 5, 2, 3, 4) = 24

Dr. MacLeod's phaser pulses hit home, slipping through the weaknesses discovered by Gareb's scans.

The satellite explodes as its fusion reactor collapses, spewing radiation and radioactive material into orbit around the planet.

Is combat over?

Combat is not over. You have destroyed one satellite in a multi-satellite system on one of the two planets. There are still several possible problems.

Kestra flies them in for an attack run 3d20 ⇒ (7, 18, 5) = 30

"Let's keep up the pressure."

what else can engineering do to assist or what else needs to be done?

I think you could still fix the warp core.

what else can engineering do to assist or what else needs to be done?

You could Create an Advantage, make a communications Task, leave the bridge to work on Damage Control, head to Engineering to get Warp engines back on line. Or something else you can think of.

MacLeod starts to move his fingers to aim at the next target, but pauses that the radiation readings on his display. He looks back to Gareb, "Are you seeing this? Can the ship's hull stop the radiation if we destroy the others without our shields?" Then he remembers to report to the captain, "High-levels of ionizing radiation, sir. The satellites must be fission powered."

He sounds far more unsure of his own engineering knowledge than his gunnery. He does, however, know the dangers of ionizing radiation on the crew.

As the game is designed, it is really only players who can take significant actions. The Captain, as an NPC, can really only provide support. He can't specifically take actions as player characters can. This is an intentional focus on the players and their characters. That is why they have Supporting Characters, for when your main character might not be relevant to a scene. I've struggled to walk this line in PbP games. Sometimes it makes the most sense to make checks for the NPCs as if there were full characters, but I'm trying to avoid the Captain taking over the scene.

I guess you can use the Captain to help us with ideas. IDK

"Ideally I'd like to get the up and remodulate them to a more optimal frequency. I'm guessing those satelites have thrusters at best, if we can try to disengage away from both planets we should be able to make some repairs. Tractor beams have only so much range."

As I once advised in a game in the underdark against some web gollems... hey I think they're slow, lets just walk away.

"T'Karra, can you modify the deflector dish to transmit a wave that will disrupt the tractor beams?"

The Captain remains standing.

Can I make my action more of a preemptive evasive action maneuver to make it more difficult for the satellites to lock on again as I fly the ship away from the system?

T'Karra will attempt the captains command:

control+engine: 2d20 ⇒ (11, 8) = 19

Can I make my action more of a preemptive evasive action maneuver to make it more difficult for the satellites to lock on again as I fly the ship away from the system?

That would be fine. But actually, I think what would have to happen for the deflector trick to work is that you would have to FLY THE SHIP INTO THE BEAMS! It won't do any good to generate a counter wave unless you are in the wave.

The captain ponders for a moment, almost sighing before stiffening his back and turning to Kestra.

"Lt. Commander Kestra, I applaud your efforts to avoid the tractor beams, but I want you to turn the ship into the beams. T'Karra will monitor the beams and make sure that the wave she is generating with our deflector dish create a destructive interference pattern. That should at least allow us to hold position without further damage. Mr. th'Chiaquis, please monitor the situation with the sensors."

Kestra says, "Aye Aye, Captain!"

Control + COnn (Helm Operations)taking an extra die for momentum 3d20 ⇒ (5, 11, 15) = 31 4 successes.

Gareb watches the sensor read outs... maybe theres something wrong with him or the read outs but they just seem strange.

Reason+Science 16: 2d20 ⇒ (20, 19) = 39 You have got to be kidding me
Science+Sensors 13: 1d20 ⇒ 12

Readings come in from the satellites ringing each planet and from across the planets. Power readings flare as systems awaken, feeding more power into the tractor beams, into the targeting systems.

So what are we doing?

Right, what do we want to do?

I thought either trying to escape or blow up the array or something.

T'Karra attempts to match the frequency and intensity again attempti g to make the ship basically invisible to the satellites

control+engine: 2d20 ⇒ (4, 6) = 10

three successes whoo hooo

T'Karra manipulates the output from the deflector dish, creating a standing graviton wave that provides almost perfect interference with the tractor beams from the planetary satellite systems. The ship ceases its shudders and quiet settles across the bridge.

The problem now, of course, is that the ship is pointed at the satellites, its main deflector cancelling their effects. You can't exactly fly backwards at impulse speeds, and the warp engines are still offline.

Kestra says, "Chief, might it could be possible to try and get the Warp engines online?"

I guess we are lost here. I'm not sure how to get things back on track.

Honestly, this combat is a bit confusing. If it was a Romulan War Bird, we would know how to react. Should we blow up the satellites? Somehow it feels like bad juju if we do. We cannot run. Maybe we missed something but that bushwhack seemed to come out of nowhere...

I suspect there are a few problems at fault. What the writers of the scenario are going for is something like the TNG episode ".Booby Trap." The ship is stuck in a dangerous situation and the solution is not just blasting your way out, but first seeking a state of stability and then trying to engineer a way out of the problem. The scenario's 3rd act, where we are now, says, "The characters must decide how to break free now." But this is such a different paradigm to adventure design compared to the Pathfinder/D&D paradigm, that I think it causes paralysis. This game really lets you make up your own solutions, and I think that is intimidating to you as players. Obviously, I'm willing to take some of the credit for failing to communicate all of this.

Sorry I haven't posted, I was confused.

But yeah, I think the open-ended "find your own solution" approach is fantastic in a live game, but it seems hard to process in PbP. I think it can be done, I think we just need to retrain ourselves a bit. On a MUSH, I wouldn't have hesitated to bounce partial ideas around, but for some reason, in this format, I felt like a failure — as if I wasn't properly moving things forward — if I didn't have a full solution to suggest. Back and forth brainstorming seems harder to wrap my brain around in this format.

"I think I have an idea. We can't change our facing but can't move away under our own power. We launch a shuttle, they tractor beam our aft section and slowly haul us away. It doesn't have to be fast and we can shield them from the onslaught of the satelites... we'd need one hell of a pilot though and its not without its risks. Think you are up for the job Kestra?"

Kestra says, "What exactly do you want me to do with the Actium?"

Kestra says, "What exactly do you want me to do with the Actium?"

Daniel nods quickly to Gareb, and says, "Yeah, that might work." He looks over to Kestra and says, "The Actium won't have to do anything, just maintain facing. Though, we could maybe use reverse manoeuvring thrusters to help add thrust as well to help compensate for the mass difference. It will still be slow, though, but faster than our other options."

"We can't get to the shuttle bay right now, with the turbolifts out, so it will have to be someone on the lower decks already piloting the shuttle."

I am kind of lost and feeling very helpless as a character

I should have said useless

Kestra says, "Aren't our transporters working? We can do a point to point transport to get me into the Actium and get under way. We definitely need to get the Warp systems on line as well."

Sorry I haven't posted, I was confused.

But yeah, I think the open-ended "find your own solution" approach is fantastic in a live game, but it seems hard to process in PbP. I think it can be done, I think we just need to retrain ourselves a bit. On a MUSH, I wouldn't have hesitated to bounce partial ideas around, but for some reason, in this format, I felt like a failure — as if I wasn't properly moving things forward — if I didn't have a full solution to suggest. Back and forth brainstorming seems harder to wrap my brain around in this format.

I see what you are saying. I think the way to fix that is to lean into the failure, potential for failure, or half formed idea. Lots of RPGs leave little room for failure. A failed disable device check can wound, main, or kill you. But for the most part, STA is more forgiving and encouraging. You can succeed even if you fail, just with some consequences. Usually, if you aren't sure of something but you have an idea, you can make a medical or science sort of check to get some more information. And you can always poke around on Memory Alpha if you just want a hint at how something might work. It is a tricky system narratively. I've never gotten to play it at a table, but I imagine with Momentum and Threat tokens and ideas flying across the table it would be a lot of fun.

Overall, you guys are a little more trepidatious than you need to be. I am entirely likely to embrace your ideas to move the story forward. I teach (among other things) improv for a living, so I'm all about "Yes, and..."

I apologize for disappearing for a couple days. I've been ill.

Kestra says, "Aren't our transporters working? We can do a point to point transport to get me into the Actium and get under way. We definitely need to get the Warp systems on line as well."

You can access the transporters from here, or order someone in a transporter room to do so. You are probably better off with T'Karra than with using Crew Support. You are beaming a target not on a transporter pad, and since no one is on the Runabout operating that pad, that is a total of +2 to the Difficulty. So you are looking at a Difficulty 4 Control+Engineering Task assisted by ship Sensors+Engineering. You can Succeed at Cost if you fail, but that will be a high cost.

Kestra, I'm not sure if that was for RP or real clarification, but I think what they are suggesting is that you use the deflector dish from the ship while the Actium tractors it backwards out of the system.

I should have said useless

Let's take this to Discussion.

Kestra will assist DC 12 1d20 ⇒ 11

Ship DC 14 1d20 ⇒ 13

She says, "Chief T'karra, can you help me beam myself down to the Actium? Thank you ma'am."

T'Karra asks permission to leave the bridge and after receiving it moves to transporter room one and waits for Kestra to arrive and she carries with her an engineers kit and the sets the transporter to beam her and Kestra to Actium.

you will need an engineer Kestra.

engine control: 2d20 ⇒ (4, 12) = 16

three successes

Kestra says, "If you want."

Taking into consideration, the five total successes.

She beams out onto the Pad of the Actium and she sprints to the Helm chair of the roundabout like a woman possessed. She runs her fingers across the LCARs like a doctor and hails the bridge and says, "Captain Tailor, the Actium is five by five mission ready. We will see if we can get them beams off of Bastion. I wish I could be in two places at once. But I cannot fly both ships simultaneously."

Control + Conn DC16 (Helm Operations) 3d20 ⇒ (4, 19, 18) = 41 2 successes

The Actium 1d20 ⇒ 10 should be three total.

As the Actium exits the shuttlebay, it is mostly protected by the "shadow" of the Bastion, the lee side, as it were. Still, the ship bucks in the was of gravitons from the massive tractor generators orbiting the two planets.

Three successes at the Helm will suffice for piloting.

T'Karra should make a Difficulty 3 Reason+Engineering Task to optimize the output of the fusion/impulse engines and fine tune the thrust vectoring from the thruster. The impulse engines of a runabout are not, of course, meant to move a starship.

Gareb can make a Difficulty 3 Reason+Science Task to continue to match and counter the output of the tractor beams with the main deflector. The wave changes continuously as your distance increases, so it requires constant maintenance.

Given Dr. Macleod's Attributes and Disciplines, I think it would be appropriate for him to handle this order:

The Captain studies a display screen on the arm of his chair. [b]"Dr. MacLeod, I understand that you are also skilled in weapons systems. Please take the tactical console and fire phasers at one of the systems that is engaging us. Mr. th'Chiaquis, if the good Dr. is successful, please factor that into your calculations.

Difficulty 3 Daring+Security Task for Dr. Macleod.

Jok'kem, this would be a place where you could take a Commanding Officer Task on one of the Tasks above. CREATE ADVANTAGE: While not unique to commanding officers (this Task is listed on p. 221), it is particularly useful for characters in command, and normally uses one of Control, Insight, or Reason, plus Command, to perform the Task Difficulty 2, success creates an Advantage). DIRECT: The CO provides clear, concise orders. Choose one other officer currently on the bridge; that officer attempts a single Task, determined by the CO. the CO assists this Task using the Command skill. This action may be used once per scene by each character who has access to it. RALLY: The CO inspires and coordinates the crew, attempting a Presence + Command Task with a Difficulty of 0; this Task is specifically to generate Momentum, either to use straight away or to save for the group.

The Vulcan, seeing that there is a lull in the active danger, will attempt to inspire and help coordinate the actions taking place on the bridge to generate momentum so that all can be successful
2d20 ⇒ (13, 12) = 25

Gareb does his best to try to match and counter the output of the tractor beams with the main deflector. Meeting with some initial success...

Reason+Science 16. Testing a Theory. Spending a point of momentum: 4d20 ⇒ (6, 16, 17, 17) = 56

I am so sorry for the delay.

Having not stepped very far from the top of the console, Dr. MacLeod steps back to it as he says, "Aye sir." He starts tapping on the buttons.

Daring + Security 15, spending a momentum: 3d20 ⇒ (15, 6, 6) = 27

That's enough successes there, but I'll roll the ship assist just in case for momentum.

Ship assist: 1d20 ⇒ 16

Untapped potential: 1d6 ⇒ 4

The Vulcan, seeing that there is a lull in the active danger, will attempt to inspire and help coordinate the actions taking place on the bridge to generate momentum so that all can be successful

2d20

If I take that to be Direct, then you generate two Momentum for others to use.

Waiting on T'Karra to make the check above.

Assisting T'karra 1d20 ⇒ 6

Jok'kem wrote:

The Vulcan, seeing that there is a lull in the active danger, will attempt to inspire and help coordinate the actions taking place on the bridge to generate momentum so that all can be successful

2d20

If I take that to be Direct, then you generate two Momentum for others to use.

Thank you

reason+engine spending momentum: 3d20 ⇒ (5, 11, 19) = 35

three successes barely

T'Karra dials in the thrusters and turns down many systems as possible to minimum capacity to squeeze every last bit of juice out of the runabout.